Hear a few self-improvement gurus, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers do it regularly – along with concert pianists, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages daytime sleep, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep science researcher. “One is what we call make-up sleep, essentially what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for example during graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about the wish: you have a moment to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to do, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap since your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on when you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the optimal amount of time, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing one can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies would say it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend using similar routines you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in 40 winks on a train or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
